I thought Ian acted appallingly -what a ham. Sweating and grimacing doesn't count as acting for me. Jane was totally convincing and had much harder stuff to convey sometimes with just a look or facial expression.
I thought Ian was quite convincing as someone who has just had a parent's worst nightmare revealed to him. At the same time I am really uncomfortable with the idea of having a child killer in a soap. I think that, together with Kathy's reappearance from the dead and the utterly ridiculous birth scene in the toilets has finally made me decide to give up on Eastenders for good.
A parent's worst nightmare would surely be that their much-loved child has been murdered by their other much-loved child. I don't think Ian over-acted, either. The absolute despair, depicted by pacing, arm-waving, and grimacing and wailing is just what might happen. Although we do keep in mind that this is a story and not real life, we see these reactions every day on the news when a parent has lost a child in a war situation. I think he did well.
Thank you nightowl to agree with being uncomfortable about having a murderer as a child in a soap. Also I think he should be accountable for what he has done. It is showing children today that action don't necessarily have consequences with shows like this when all the family decided to do nothing about it because they are "family".